Leica | alan frost photography

“What are you photographing?”….. the stranger asked inquisitively.

Crouching down with my camera and staring into the rather murky water of a small pond….a man approached me and asked me what was I photographing? He could have simply asked what on earth I was doing. Instead, he chose to be more tactful and polite with his questioning. Had I been in his shoes I may well have posed the same question. After all there was nothing obvious to be seen, let alone photograph…or was there?

And that’s the great thing about being a photographer. The eye is honed to see something which others may not notice. And the more you look and observe the more you see.

In this case I had been drawn to the stillness of a small twig which appeared to be rising out of the water. The reflections of the surrounding trees were being moved by a gentle breeze. The combination of stillness and movement appealed to me.

What I guess wouldn’t have been seen by the passerby was how these reflections would be frozen and captured by the use of a fast shutter. I focused on the twig and used a wide aperture intending to isolate the main subject.

If you are viewing this image on a small screen, you may find it difficult to appreciate the abstract quality of the reflections. So I have included a crop of one part of the picture.

Of course the answer to the question ‘what are you photographing?’ is in the eye of the photographer and is only concluded when the image has been captured and processed. At this moment the photographer’s vision comes together and makes sense – hopefully!

There is something about this photograph which really appeals to me. It’s something out of nothing, being both simple and complex in its makeup. To my eyes it’s the hidden beauty of nature which is very special. All too easily missed, but once seen, never forgotten.

Flooded Meadows ….. from the other side, with a tripod to slow me down

A few days ago I posted a set of images of the flooded water meadows close to where I live. You can read that post and see the images here.

I knew there was the possibility of some different views if I accessed the meadows from the other side of the river. In particular I wanted to capture some trees which I thought would be ideal subjects providing I could pick a still day to make the most of their reflections.

When conditions were favourable I selected what camera gear I would need and put on my wellies. I took a tripod, not because I would be taking any long exposures but to slow me down. I tend to work quite quickly and the one advantage of a tripod is that I take greater care over the composition and the camera’s settings. I find the process of being in the field more immersive as a consequence.

The water levels have receded but any more rain will only fall on saturated ground, so I fully expect these scenes will persist for some time to come. I may travel a little further afield to find other areas where I know local rivers have burst their banks. I have not known flooding on this scale before so I want to make the most of these conditions while I can.

An early Christmas present from Leica – a firmware update (4.0.0) for Q3 and SL3, plus playing with Film Styles and Leica Looks

I don’t know about you, but most emails that arrive in my inbox are rubbish. Without opening them I hit the delete key. Occasionally one will jump out at me and my curiosity is awakened. This was most certainly the case when a couple of days ago I received an email from Leica announcing a major firmware upgrade for their Q3 and SL3 series of cameras. Many updates usually offer minor changes or bug fixes but firmware 4.0.0 was indeed a major upgrade particularly for the Q3.

Leica indicated the update would enhance performance and responsiveness, combined with faster and better autofocus capabilities. But the big change for me was the introduction of the interface and menu system from the SL3. I couldn’t wait to download the update and experience for myself the changes. Providing there are no bugs, these are very worthwhile improvements and will further enhance my enjoyment of the Leica Q3. Most definitely an unexpected and much appreciated Christmas present. Thank you Leica!

I always enjoy ‘playing’ and having reconnected the Q3 to the Leica Photos App, I thought it might be fun to download some of the ‘Leica Look’ JPEG only styles. I rarely if ever shoot JPEG, my default is always RAW so that I have the maximum possible control over image processing. However I thought I would compare the various JPEG options. Would any appeal to me?

Film Styles are already built into the camera menu, and the Leica Looks are downloadable from the Leica Photos App. There are a number to choose from but there are only six available slots in the camera.

I decided to visit a nearby church and took a series of external and interior images having selected each Film Style or Leica Look in turn – 11 baked in styles for JPEGs only. If I shot RAW as well this would not be affected. In all cases I used exactly the same settings and all the results can be viewed below.

Given my love for black and white I was particularly interested in the monochrome styles and I have to say of all of them I really like the ‘Greg Williams Leica Look’. It isn’t too contrasty, and the fairly subtle warm tone appeals to me. In the past I have used the Monochrome High Contrast film style to preview the look I am after but still shot RAW. I doubt I will ever use Selenium and the Sepia look is for me a little overdone but you can reduce the intensity of the style in camera prior to shooting so this may work.

Although I don’t normally work in colour I was interested to see how the various styles compared. Over to the colour workers reading this post to come to their own conclusions. Personal choice as always and some of the styles will work well for certain types of subject and lighting conditions and not for others.

And now for a set of interior shots using the same 11 film styles and looks.

Once again the ‘Greg Williams’ look works for me and this particular subject matter.

And here are the colour versions.

I think it’s fair to say that I have enjoyed this exercise. Whether or not I will start shooting RAW plus JPEG, coupled with one of the styles, I don’t know. At least I now have useful reference which will serve as a reminder of the looks available.

For anyone who is fortunate to own a Leica Q3 (28, 43 or Monochrom) or SL3 or SL3S, I can highly recommend the latest 4.0.0 firmware update. But before taking my word for it I would strongly suggest you check out the support section of the Leica website. I would also recommend viewing a couple of videos on YouTube on the Leica channel which will give you much more information.

I doubt I will post anything more before the 25th December so wherever you in the world and whatever your beliefs, may I wish you a very happy Festive Season and peaceful New Year.

(A quick aside – given the size of the images I would suggest viewing this post on a tablet or better still a desktop as opposed to a mobile device)

Driving through time at the Haynes Motor Museum

When photographing any subject it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of framing the picture to capture the whole thing. Nothing is omitted and a ‘bumper to bumper’ picture of a car can in truth be nothing more than a record shot. From a purely visual point of view the composition ends up being far too busy. Add a distracting background can only add to the confusion. This is particularly true in a museum where the four wheeled exhibits are displayed in close proximity to one another. There is little or no separation and the resultant photograph is almost invariably a disappointment. In a phrase it lacks viewer engagement.

Abstraction and knowing what to leave out, can I believe make for a much more interesting and pleasing image.

I recently made a second visit to the Haynes Motor Museum in Somerset, England. My photographic intentions were very clear.

I set out with the specific aim of making photographs which told a story and would in my view capture the essence of both the place and the wide range of cars on display. I wanted to make positive use of the artificial lighting. To work with what could be distracting sources of light and reflections. To embrace out of focus areas, to enhance the image, and adding a further layer of interest whenever possible.

I thoroughly enjoyed combining two of my passions in life – motor cars and photography. There are a huge variety of cars at the museum spanning all eras. With my camera and a selection of lenses I experimented with various settings in the hope of making some interesting black and white compositions.

You can be the judge of whether or not my approach was successful.

Life and light in the stillness ….. feelings evoked by my local churchyard.

For the past couple of years a large section of my local churchyard has been left to grow wild. Untended, the grasses grow, and will gradually die back, more so in this hot dry summer. They provide a habitat for insects, birds and possibly other wildlife as well. In early autumn the area is cleared and nature’s cycle will continue. Cut back, dormant, only to re-emerge and thrive again next spring.

Churchyards are places of peace and sanctuary which evoke many contrary emotions. They are there for those that have gone before us. The old headstones and crosses mark the lives of the many generations who were once alive and part of village life. In some cases the inscriptions are still visible but these are old stones, so more often than not the words of remembrance and the dates of the dearly departed have been worn away, eroded by the elements. I can only imagine the tales that are buried in the ground beneath my feet.

The other day I dusted off my tripod and gathered together my ND filters, and decided to try and capture how I felt about this place. On the one hand there is stillness. The age-ed gravestones no longer upright but weathered and leaning from the passage of time. Resilient to change, protected and to be respected. The gusting wind and sun would play their part. The grasses waving as the wind ebbed and flowed. Sunlight fleetingly disappearing behind thin cloud only to reappear a few moments later. Essential ingredients which helped me realise the images I had in mind. A mix of life, movement, light and death.

From a photographic point of view I enjoyed being alone for a few hours. Over two sessions I immersed myself in the scene as I discovered new compositions. Moving and adjusting the position of the tripod, swapping lenses and ND filters. Manually focusing and varying the camera’s settings to try and achieve the look I was after. Simply being creative.

I understand that for many people churchyards are sombre and melancholic places. I find it hard not to share these feelings. However there are also feelings of resilience, rebirth, remembrance, respect and ultimately love and hope as we contend with the challenges that are placed before us each and every day.